JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May 22, 2008) - ETSU has been selected by the NCAA to receive the 2007-08 Diversity in Athletics Award.

Charlotte Westerhaus, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for the NCAA, announced the award which recognizes NCAA Division I and II athletics departments that excel in the area of diversity. The award recognizes departments in eight categories--diversity strategy, gender diversity of department employees, racial diversity of department employees, value and attitudinal (values, attitudes, personality) diversity of department employees, graduation of African-American female and male student-athletes, gender equity compliance (substantial proportionality), and overall excellence in diversity.

ETSU strives to exceed the standards set by the NCAA on gender equity. The ETSU athletics department takes pride in affording opportunities to minorities and looks to create a diverse staff. Having a diverse staff at ETSU makes for a better environment for the 23 different countries represented among the different student athletes at ETSU. Additionally, the graduation rate of student athletes at ETSU is higher than the campus trend, which includes a large number of African-American athletes.

"I am proud of the plans and programs we have put in place over the last few years to assure that we are creating an inclusive environment in our athletic department," said ETSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dave Mullins. "Coaches, staff members, and athletes from diverse backgrounds are valued and given an opportunity to excel. We have addressed some very serious gender equity issues related to staffing and funding and made tremendous progress. I appreciate the NCAA recognizing the efforts of our entire department. We will continue to improve in this area."

ETSU is being honored along with prestigious universities such as:

University of Central FloridaUniversity of Colorado, Boulder

Drexel UniversityKansas State University

Long BeachStateUniversityUniversity of Miami (Fla.)

OhioStateUniversitySan JoseStateUniversity

StanfordUniversityUniversity of Texas as El Paso

WrightStateUniversity

Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on all Buccaneer athletic news.